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Following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (November 13) :

Question :

Will the Government inform this Council whether it knows the respective operating costs per kilometre, daily fare revenue, average patronage per hour and maximum carrying capacity per hour of the MTR Island Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Kwun Tong Line, Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express over the past three years?

Reply

Madam President,

As the MTR system is an integrated system operating five Urban Lines* and the Airport Express Line, the operational cost figures available are based on the system as a whole. In addition, as passengers can interchange between different Lines, the statistics on daily fare revenue and average patronage per hour can only be separated between the Urban Lines and the Airport Express Line.

* Before the commencement of operation of Tseung Kwan O Line in August 2002, there were four MTR Urban Lines which include Tsuen Wan Line, Kwun Tong Line, Island Line and Tung Chung Line.

The available information is as follows :-

  (a)	Operating costs per kilometer

                              1999       2000        2001

  Total car km operated       114,098   111,756     116,209

  (in thousands) 

  Railway operating costs     HK$27.3    HK$26.8     HK$24.5

  (per car km operated)

(b) Daily fare revenue

  Rail Lines                     1999      2000     2001

  **********                          (HK$ million)

  MTR Lines                      14.2     14.1      14.1

  Airport Express Line            1.2      1.5       1.5

(c) Average patronage per hour

  Rail Lines                   1999        2000        2001

  **********                        (Number of passengers)

  MTR Lines                  120,211     117,895    117,421

  Airport Express Line         1,526       1,474      1,316

(d) Maximum carrying capacity per hour

The maximum carrying capacities of the various lines remained unchanged during the past three years as follows :-

  Rail Lines                       Maximum Carrying Capacity

  **********                         per hour per direction

                                     **********************

                                      (Number of passengers)

  Tsuen Wan Line                                  85,000

  Island Line                                     85,000

  Kwun Tong Line                                  85,000

  Tung Chung to Tsing Yi                          13,000

  section of Tung Chung Line

  Tsing Yi to Hong Kong                           26,000

  section of Tung Chung Line

  Airport Express Line                             2,300

End/Wednesday, November 13, 2002

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